Late Night Shopping
by Creeper2
Summary: Eames has some shopping to do and Goren has a crime to solve. FINISHED
1. Default Chapter

Title: Late Night Shopping  
  
Rating: PG-13, R possibly later  
  
Disclaimers: Oh I want them. I want them so bad. But I can't have them. They belong to another.  
  
"Lust. Hot rampant lust."  
Alex read the box aloud despite herself. The Pussycat Boutique was not her normal stomping grounds and the movie she was holding was definitely not her usual choice of entertainment. She kept reading the description and felt her face begin to flush. It was definitely time to do her shopping and get out of there. fast.  
Walking further down the aisle she found the merchandise that she was looking for. The anatomically correct pasta looked perfect and she smiled to herself. Picking up three boxes, she turned around and saw a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" that she couldn't pass up. It would be perfect for the party. In fact this whole shopping trip was reminding her of college. A little tequila, some music and it would be just like old times.  
Her best friend from college, Kat, was finally getting married. It had taken three years for the lawyer she was living with to propose. Alex didn't know her fiancé, Mike all that well, but if Kate was happy, then that was what mattered. Besides, Saturday night was the bachlorette party, easily the best part about getting married.  
Alex had been planning the party for weeks. Another member of the wedding party was letting them use her townhouse. Another had found a great caterer. Alex had already bought the booze and hired the "professional" entertainment. At 11pm, Kat would be arrested by a cop in a g-string. Alex had been shocked to find out just how much strippers cost these days. The dancing cop was probably making more in a year than she did. But then again, she thought, I bet he looks better both in and out of uniform.  
She made her way through the aisles and found herself looking at the lingerie. It had been a long time since she felt the need to dress up like that for anyone. In fact, she wished she did have someone to surprise with that black garter belt and bodice. Unbidden an image of her partner sprang to mind. She wondered what he would do if she showed up at his apartment in that little number. Shaking her head to rid her mind of the increasingly vivid images raging through it, she laughed to herself. He'd probably do nothing. He seemed to like them taller and younger, she thought ruefully.  
On her way to the cashier, Alex spotted the video again. Ivy Manor, the only video there that didn't have a picture of overly graphic acts of copulation. The deep red and shadowy graphics made it clear that it was at least a sensual film, but the back promised more. A lot more. In fact the rather vivid description promised at least a semblance of a plot, something that probably could not be said of the other video selctions. She was about to put the video back a second time when she read the description of the final scene. She felt her blood rush to her face again and her heart sped up just a bit. Suddenly she couldn't put the box back. Her eyes glazed over with a faraway look as Bobby forced his way into her thoughts again. He was much harder to ignore this time. Eventually she was roused from her daydream when a old man reeking of gin brushed past her on his way to the bargain video bin. She hurried to the cashier only barely registering that she still had the video with her. She paid for everything and walked out into the cool New York night. She was on her way back to her car when her cell phone rang.  
"Eames.. No I'm not busy.. Okay I'll pick you up. Bye." She pressed the end button and continued on to her car, muttering to herself along the way. "Well that's a shocker. A murder in New York. My week would not be complete without having a night interrupted by yet another big crime for Sherlock to solve."  
Back in her car, she hurried over to Bobby's apartment so they could head over to Daniel. Well at least she didn't need a reservation there tonight. Not like she cold even afford it. Daniel was one of the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in town. It was frequented by celebrities and politician alike and it was one politician, Bloomburg who had gotten the Major Case Squad involved tonight.  
Alex was approaching her partner's place when she suddenly realized the plastic bag from the Pussycat Boutique was on the seat next to her. Frantically she grabbed for it as she pulled up in front of his apartment and stuffed it under the passenger's side seat. She had just straightened up and breathed a sigh of relief when Bobby open the door and sat down.  
"Hey Alex. Let's go." They sped off and Alex silently gave a prayer of thanks that she had managed to hide her purchases and her embarrassment from her partner. It was tough spending so much time with him. He was just too observant and never seemed to miss anything. "Eames. Are you okay? You seem a little flushed."  
Inwardly cursing her own personal psychologist sitting next to her, she gave him a small smile. "I was just rushing to get over here in time. We wouldn't want to disappoint the Mayor would we?" Amazingly he seemed to buy her explanation and they drove in silence until they pulled up in front of the restaurant.  
Bobby leapt into action right away and ran off to get a look at the body. Alex found herself surrounded by the other cops there and the mayor's personal assistant. As she tried to answer their questions and organize everything so she could get witness statements. She was so busy, that she didn't see her partner come out of the restaurant. She didn't see him run up to her car. And she definitely didn't see him look under the seat for his leather portfolio.  
  
...TBC  
  
Please Review and let me know what you think. This is my first real attempt at writing. 


	2. Musings of a bored detective

Chapter 2  
  
Detective Robert Goren stood outside his apartment building watching the tide of humanity sweep past him. It was a pleasant night in the city and that meant a lot of people were out enjoying the night air. As they walked by, Bobby couldn't help but wonder who they were, where they were going. People watching, after all, was the great New York past time. It was always fun to practice his profiling skills on strangers.  
The guy with the scraggly beginnings of a beard and a well worn tweed jacket was headed home to his cat. Probably a divorced English professor with an old typewriter he believed would give him the inspiration to write the great American novel. He had a kid he didn't talk to and a subscription to the New Yorker. Every year he'd get a new crop of freshmen for his 19th century literature course and every year he'd try to get one of the freshman girls.  
Then there was the heavily pierced and overweight teenage girl. A chain smoker already, and desperate to fit in. She carried a paper bag, likely a bottle of cheap peach schnapps that she gave a bum twenty dollars to get for her. If she was lucky, she was on her way to hang out with some equally outcast girlfriends. If she was unlucky she had a date with a boyfriend who would get trashed and pressure her into any number of sexual acts that would leave her feeling dirty and unfulfilled and give him ample material when he met up later with his friends to dump on the cow.  
Bobby sighed. Maybe he was too cynical. He watched a woman strut by with a well dressed, much older man on her arm. Judging by his hand firmly stuck to her ass, she probably wasn't his wife or his daughter for that matter. He would definitely have his hands full with her tonight. He watched them walk away and noticed the woman's extremely short, extremely tight black skirt. How on earth did she manage to walk around in that? The skirt and the stilettos she was teetering on might be attractive, but they couldn't be that comfortable walking around the city. Well if the man had his way, the skirt wouldn't stay on for much longer. Bobby glanced at his watch and wondered where his partner was. Alex only lived five minutes away. She should have been there by now.  
It occurred to him that Alex used to wear a similar miniskirt, long before he met her. She had said that she looked good in it and he believed her. In fact, he'd bet that she'd still look great in it especially with a pair of black leather pumps and a tank top. Suddenly an image of his partner dressed in precisely those clothes flashed through his mind. Damn his overly vivid imagination. His partner was a very attractive woman even in the considerably more practical outfits she wore for work. But the Alex that now occupied his brain was a virtual sex kitten. He mentally chastised himself. Alex was his partner, a cop, and a really good one at that. He tried to force out the inappropriate image with those thoughts but only succeeded in adding handcuffs, badge and gun to the outfit. Bobby groaned. Somehow this was even worse. He rubbed his eyes and looked up when an ambulance wailed past him breaking his reverie. He looked at his watch again and forced his thoughts into safer territory. Some businessman had dropped dead in his vichyssoise tonight, and because the mayor had been at the next table he and Eames had been called in. They didn't even know if he'd been murdered yet. For all Bobby knew, the old man had simply had a heart attack. He hated these politically charged investigations, especially when they turned out to be nothing. He'd much rather challenge himself with an intelligent criminal and a cryptic crime scene. He loved the hunt. Finally, Alex pulled up and they sped off towards the restaurant. As they drove, Bobby surreptitiously glanced over at his partner. Indeed, she was a beautiful woman especially with her face flushed like that. In fact, she seemed to be breathing a little fast. He suddenly wished that he could do that to her, make her blood rush and take her breath away. That thought quickly fled when Alex looked over and caught him staring at her. "Eames. Are you okay? You seem a little flushed." There, he thought, that should cover me. She seemed to buy it. She probably thought he was just concerned for her. But oddly her blush seemed to deepen. She made some random excuse, but for once Bobby wasn't really paying attention. He was mentally cursing himself for letting his thoughts get the better of him. Tonight, for some reason the promise of a potential crime scene wasn't enough to occupy his overactive brain. Tonight his thoughts were running out of his control. And Bobby didn't like losing control. They arrived at the scene and Bobby hurried inside leaving his partner to deal with the crowd of annoyed patrons and one very flustered looking assistant to the mayor. She was better at dealing with people anyway. The restaurant was crowded with blue uniforms trampling everything they could find and practically drooling over the well stocked bar. He sighed, went over to the first uniform and told him to remove everyone from the dining room. When would these guys learn? The victim was literally faced down in his soup. He walked over and leaned over the table to get a better look.  
"Waiter! There's a guy in my soup!" Bobby turned around to see Deakins headed his way.  
"They dragged you out here too?"  
"Yeah. I'm supposed to meet up with the mayor's assistant and then coordinate the investigation back at the office. Please tell me this was a heart attack." "I can't tell yet. No obvious wounds but of course he could have been drugged." "Solve it quickly. The sooner we can get the mayor out of our hair the better. By the way, where's Eames?" Goren chuckled. "She's outside running interference and organizing witnesses. I'm sure she can't wait for you to take the mayor's man off her hands." "Well, I never was one to leave a lady waiting. I'll see you in the morning. Early." Bobby watched Deakins leave and then continued to stare at the body. Nothing shocking there. He lifted the man's head out of the soup and noticed some white foam around his mouth. He reached for a pen to start taking notes when he realized he didn't have his portfolio with him. Bobby jogged back out to the car. He never forgot little stuff like that. It's my own fault, he thought. If I hadn't been so distracted before. He hated the interruption to his thought processes and hurried to the car so he could turn his attention back to the possible crime scene. He opened the car door expecting to see his case waiting for him. Instead, it was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't on the floor or next to the seat. He reached under the seat. He pulled out first a plastic shopping bag, and then his portfolio that had somehow slid under there. He went to replace the bag when a box of pasta fell out. So that's why Alex had been late, Bobby thought. She must have been grocery shopping. He picked up the box and suddenly realized that she probably hadn't been at the local Foodtown. Bobby quickly glanced around to make sure no one was looking for him. His reputation would certainly not be helped if he was caught staring at a box of penis shaped pasta. And Alex would definitely not want him to see her unusual purchase. Replacing the box, he noticed that she'd bought more. His innate curiosity couldn't be ignored at this point, so he pulled out a thin package. Well this explains it, he thought. Alex must have a party to go to or something. I doubt she'd play "Pin the Macho on the Man" by herself. He smiled and put the game back in the bag when he noticed another purchase. This one turned out to be a video. "Hmmm. Ivy Manor." Bobby turned the box over to read the back. The video seemed to be a compilation of three vignettes centered around an 18th century manor house rented by three girlfriends. The first involved a garden romp with a Cockney groundskeeper. The second turned out to be a rather loose interpretation of a fox hunt. But the third.. Damn. Bobby shook his head to clear yet another extremely inappropriate image of his partner and shoved everything back under the seat. The entire world seemed intent on distracting him tonight. He ran into the restaurant this time, trying to shock his mind and body back to the task at hand. Bobby circled the table where the victim now sat slumped with his head against the chair and his face covered in potato soup. He bagged some silverware, handing it to the young CSU tech nearby. Finally, his survey of the table complete, he dropped to his hands and knees to look under the table. The tech chuckled as Goren's bizarre routine at crime scenes was by now a department legend. There was nothing of interest on the floor except for what appeared to be a black handkerchief under one of the chairs. Bobby whipped out his ever present if slightly illegal switchblade. Well it wasn't totally illegal. The police had a little leeway when it came to possessing weapons. He picked up the fabric on the end of the blade and then held it out blindly to the CSU guy. Bobby was about to get up, when a sudden, unexpected voice caused him to slam his head on the underside of the table. "A black thong by Cossabella! Someone's going to be missing a $125 pair of panties."  
  
.TBC 


	3. What about the panties?

Sorry this took so long everybody. It's been a busy week. Hope you enjoy!  
  
Late Night Shopping- Chapter 3  
  
"I don't understand why the ME isn't here yet. I called over thirty minutes ago. She should be here by now."  
  
Alex sighed and literally bit her tongue for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Look, Mr. Fried. It's after midnight. I'm sure she's on her way. This could have been taken care of already if you would just let the coroner on duty do his job."  
  
"The mayor called me down here to make sure everything was handled in the best possible manner. I'm not going to let some green little intern screw this up."  
  
"With all do respect, sir. Our coroners are all very skilled and hardly qualify as interns."  
  
"I don't care how good they are! I need the best!"  
  
"Alex shook her head and looked up, silently praying for relief. The officious little ass had been complaining as soon as she had introduced herself. Lucky Bobby, he got to spend his time with the dead guy. She had to baby sit a man whose rapid blabbering and increasingly red face made her wonder if he was going to have a heart attack right here on the side walk. At least then he'd be quiet. It might even be worth her having to give him CPR.  
  
"Detective Eames. I believe your partner could use your assistance inside."  
  
Alex closed her eyes in relief at the sound of Deakins's voice and turned around. She was surprised to see a lot more cops than when they had arrived. She smiled as she realized that Bobby must have kicked them out. "I wasn't aware that you were being called out sir. I'm sure we could've handled this alone."  
  
"Of that I'm sure, detective. However, the commissioner thought it might be best if I was involved." He shot Alex a smile and a sympathetic glance as he looked past her to where the mayor's assistant was jabbering on a cell phone. Fried looked up and abruptly ended the conversation when he noticed someone of higher rank than Alex.  
  
"Finally. Someone who can help me. When is the ME getting here and wen the hell are you getting the body out of there?"  
  
Alex grinned at the instant look of distress on Deakins' face. "Captain, this is Richard Fried, the mayor's assistant. Mr. Fried, the captain will be able to help you now." Alex walked off towards the entrance to the restaurant chuckling as she heard Deakins trying futilely to calm the assistant.  
  
The restaurant was gorgeous, if a little overstated and opulent for Alex's tastes. Actually despite the one table, everything seemed to be in place, like people had simply got up and walked out in the middle of dinner. Usually when someone died, people panicked and scattered leaving a hell of a mess behind. Not here though. She walked over to the only occupied table and looked at the victim. Nothing seemed out of place. In fact except for the blue tinge to his skin and his face covered in soup, he might have been asleep.  
  
The whole scene seemed more civilized than anything she was used to. No sirens, no screaming or crying, no morbid onlookers trying to push past the barrier, no blood. It was an almost calming scene after the chaos outside.  
  
Alex looked around for Bobby. Not finding him, she met the eyes of a cute young CSU tech. He laughed and pointed to the floor. Alex smirked in response. Leave it to Bobby to find evidence in the most unusual of places. She took the evidence bags from the tech and sent him outside. Bobby must really be engrossed in something down there, she thought. He doesn't even seem to realize I'm here.  
  
Just then a rather large hand and forearm shot out from under the table holding somethind. She reached for it to put it in an evidence bag when she realized what it was. A thong. Alex was suddenly glad she was wearing gloves. Leave it to Bobby to find a thong for evidence. She looked at the label while she was putting it away.  
  
"A black thong by Cossabella! Someone's going to be missing a $125 pair of panties." She laughed when a resounding thunk signaled that Bobby had heard her. That must be one of the downsides of being so focused; you miss everything else around you.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"Cossabella thongs are really expensive. These are $125 each. I can't imagine someone would just leave these here."  
  
Her partner stood there staring at her with and odd glare. Very quickly though, his eyes narrowed and took on a bit of a mischievous glint. "How do you how much they cost?"  
  
Alex felt her face grow hot with an obvious blush. He was having way too much fun with this. Why did all of his random trivia come with an innocuous story. I was stationed in Germany, I was stationed in Korea. She realized he was still waiting for an answer. She took a deep breath.  
  
"They are a little out of my price range, but I did receive a pair as a gift once."  
  
"You wore a pair of these?"  
  
Alex decided it was her turn to have a little fun with Bobby.  
  
"I looked good in them too." She leaned a little closer and whispered, "In fact I still do."  
  
Bobby's eyes grew noticeably darker and he seemed suddenly unable to speak. Alex did a bit of a mental victory dance, and walked around the table. Bobby looked like he needed some time to recover.  
  
Her partner was always so controlled and always seemed to know what to say. It was nice to turn the tables on him for once. When he didn't say anything for a while she turned to look for him. He was squatting next to the victim, gingerly holding the man's hand.  
  
"Eames. Come here and smell this guy's hand."  
  
"What now? I don't think they serve buffalo wings here." Alex bent down and sniffed at the hand Bobby offered, recoiling in disgust. "Oh gross! I can't believe you made me do that!"  
  
"Well that would explain the panties. I bet the poor guy had a heart attack when he felt that! Now we just have to find the young woman sitting next to him."  
  
**********************  
  
It took less than a day to find the owner of the thong. After hearing a rather vivid description of the victim's last supper and the report from the ME, the case was closed. The man had died from natural causes.  
  
The rest of the week was uneventful, with little more than paperwork to do. At least until Saturday night.  
  
The party had been a great success. It had been a great reunion of so many old friends. Alex couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. The pasta salad had been a definite hit, even if it took a little vodka before they could tackle it. The game was great too and had finally degenerated into a drunken bout of hilarity. But the stripper had been the icing on the cake. Officer Magnum might have been a bit expensive, but he was worth every dollar they tucked into his g-string. After numerous lap dances that left everyone hot and flustered, it was time to stagger home.  
  
Alex shared a cab with Jen, an old friend from high school. They traveled in silence together until Jen had to go and open her mouth.  
  
"So what's his name?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Your partner, dumbass!"  
  
"Robert Goren."  
  
"Is he hot?"  
  
Alex blushed as she thought of Bobby. She really didn't need this now. "I guess it depends on what you mean by hot. He's no Officer Magnum!"  
  
"Come on. I wanna know."  
  
"He's okay."  
  
"I need more than that. Is he big? You always had a thing for the big football player type."  
  
"Yeah he's pretty tall."  
  
"That's it? Have you done anything?"  
  
"No! Of course not! He's my partner."  
  
"But you want to."  
  
"I doesn't matter. He wouldn't want me."  
  
"You don't know that. Give him an opportunity. You never know."  
  
Thankfully Jen dropped the matter and left Alex to her own thoughts. Unfortunately those thoughts now centered on her partner. She wondered briefly what he'd look like in a street blue uniform. Probably as silly as she did. There was something about a guy in uniform though. That army getup had been distracting. He had fueled her fantasies for weeks with that costume. And the jeans and black t-shirt? Delicious! Man he had a great body.  
  
Alex's train of thought was interrupted by her arrival at her apartment. She said a quick goodbye to Jen and tipped the cab driver.  
  
She trudged up the stairs to her apartment and collapsed on her couch. It was quiet and a bit lonely after the rowdy time she'd had. She stepped out of her shoes and went to her bedroom to undress. She flopped down on her bed and wriggled out of her jeans. She lay back looking at the ceiling in her panties and t-shirt. She still had a pleasant buzz going from the party. Officer Magnum had been fun, but the whole concept of a stripper seemed to be a bit of a tease to her. You couldn't really do anything, and it just left you wanting more. Most of the women tonight had husbands or boyfriends to go home to. She wondered what the others were doing. Probably the same thing as her, wishing there was someone to come home to.  
  
She rolled over and opened the drawer of her nightstand looking for a book. Alex Eames had a secret. For years she'd had a taste for cheesy romance novels. Her favorite was Lady Pirate, the erotic adventures of a young woman who captains a pirate ship looking to avenge the Spaniard who killed her brother. Finally she falls in love with the Englishman sent to capture her. Ridiculous plot and equally ridiculous dialogue, but it had some indescribable appeal.  
  
She was rifling through her stuff when something else caught her eye. Damn, she thought, I forgot I put that there. Alex picked up the box and flipped it over. She had bought it on a whim and it hadn't occurred to her till now to take a look at it. That third story held such promise. She was not generally a fan of porn, well except for her books. But for some reason tonight, she felt a need she couldn't explain.  
  
She got up, went into her den and popped the tape in the VCR. She turned on the TV and pressed play as she went to draw the blinds. Maybe it was a bit of paranoia, but Alex knew of the multitude of telescopes in the city.  
  
The light tones of a violin filled the apartment, surprising Alex who had been expecting the pounding base of a porn soundtrack cliché. She sped past the first two stories, giggling at the lighting fast movements on the screen. When the title screen of the third appeared though, she pressed play and settled in to watch.  
  
The box had not exaggerated. The scene was hot. Too hot. Alex couldn't help herself. After about five minutes of it, she stopped it and got into bed. She closed her eyes and as her fingers danced across her flesh, she thought of Bobby.  
  
TBC.. Only two more chapters to go. Review and let me know what you think. If I get a lot of reviews, maybe I'll try to get this done before the season premier. 


	4. Let me see that Thong!

Let me know what you think.  
  
Late Night Shopping- Chapter 4  
  
A thong. Why did it have to be a thong? Why not simply a napkin or handkerchief? Was there some grand conspiracy to make him unable to do his job in peace? Just when he'd managed to focus on the case at hand and forget about Alex's purchases, fate had handed him another twist. This time it was a vision of his partner in the skimpy black thong he had found.  
  
Bobby rubbed the back of his head where it had slammed into the table. Damn her. If he didn't know better, he'd think she did that on purpose. But no, her embarrassment was clear when he asked her how she knew the price. She had clearly not planned to reveal something that personal.  
  
Score one for his partner though. Now besides a sore head, he had his overactive imagination to deal with. If his vision of her was anything like reality, then, hell yeah, she still looked good in that thong. That little revelation of hers may have just been innocent banter, but damn if his body didn't react to it as a genuine invitation. This whole situation was getting out of hand.  
  
Thankfully she turned away, giving him time to get his mind, and body back under control. He forcefully drew his gaze away from Alex, and focused instead on the victim. He crouched by his chair and started looking him over from head to toe. Evidence wasn't always visual. He had made a bit of a reputation for himself by using every sense he had.  
  
Bobby was well aware of what people around the office said about him when they thought he wasn't paying attention. Unfortunately for them, he was always paying attention. Sherlock was by far the most flattering term they used to describe him. But it wasn't the only one. Most of the others saw him as a sort of mad genius. He didn't mind the genius part, but the allusion to insanity bothered him.  
  
He continued his examination, spending a considerable amount of time on his hands. He noticed an odd odor about his left hand. When he realized what it was, he drew back and smiled a bit. Well, at least the victim was still getting some at his age. Lucky bastard. Judging by the panties left behind, his companion was younger than him and probably not his wife. What a way to go. This would most likely turn out to be nothing. The poor guy probably just had a heart attack.  
  
*****************  
  
The rest of the week was uneventful. Just as he'd thought, the victim had a heart attack and the case had been swiftly closed. His companion had turned out to be an escort, albeit a high paid one.  
  
Now his time was spent doing paperwork. He had hoped that he could foist those responsibilities over on his partner, but she would have none of it. She divided the pile equally and slowly they worked their way through it. Secretly, he was proud of her for not giving in and doing the grunt work for him. It showed just how much strength was beneath her feminine exterior. Her beautiful, lithe feminine exterior.  
  
The week went torturously slow as he sat across from Alex lost in a sea of papers and his own thoughts. Every time he looked up he was treated to the sight of Alex, concentrating hard and doing something utterly distracting. One time she had been sucking on the end of her pen as she filled out a request for travel reimbursement. Another time, he looked up just as she was unbuttoning the top three buttons of her shirt. He had almost lost it on Friday. He saw her signing a greeting card and had asked about the occasion. She actually told him about the bachelorette party for her friend on Saturday. It wasn't that shocking. He had already suspected something like that when he found the fruits of her shopping trip. But he was unprepared for the thoughts that ran rampant for the rest of the day. Alex dancing with her friends. Alex making that pasta. Alex watching that video. And so he sat there, every day, mentally cursing Alex for being too tempting, and his own mind for being so dirty.  
  
******************  
  
Bobby flipped through the channels. He'd cleaned his apartment, made dinner and did his laundry and now he was sitting alone on a Saturday night with nothing to do. He stopped short of wishing for a crime just so he'd get called in. When had his job become his life? Everyone in the city was out tonight and here he was, felling sorry for himself.  
  
This was no good. Alex was out having a good time tonight, he could do the same. He dragged his sorry corpse off the couch and went to get dressed. There were a couple nice bars in the area. One or two were frequented by cops, so at least he'd have someone to talk to. He threw on a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt and paused to look in the mirror briefly. He could use a shave, but it could probably wait until the morning. He hadn't quite passed into the scary trucker phase yet. Christ, he thought, when did I get so old? Bobby splashed some water over his face and ran his hands through his hair. There was no reason for him to do anything else. He was just going for a few drinks. He had no hopes of finding anyone to ease the ache inside him. There was only one woman who could do that, and she was unavailable to him.  
  
He threw on his black coat, grabbed the keys and was out the door. He stood outside on the street for a few moments, deciding where he should go. He finally settled on a Michael's, a fairly new bar with refreshingly old fashioned decor. It had the look and feel of an old English pub, but wasn't as dark or depressing as some of the older ones. Plus they had an excellent selection of scotch.  
  
He walked in and looked over the clientele. Plenty of cops here, easily identifiable by the way they sat. Gun hand always free, regardless of whether they had their weapon with them. There were also a number of firemen. They were in a group together, had enormous shoulders and were eyeing the gaggle of women towards the back. There were quite a few women tonight. Some were obviously officers and were drinking with other cops at the bar. But the women at the back were there for the action. They were there to bag a cop or firemen, and since most of them were relatively good looking, they should have little trouble.  
  
Not too long ago, some of them might have been able to tempt him. They were fun. A relationship with one of them would last a few weeks at the most. Things always got strained when they realized that cops made lousy boyfriends. Sure the sex was good and satisfying, but the job put a strain on relationships. Eventually it would end. They would part amicably and then go looking for the next temporary fix.  
  
Bobby sat next to a guy who looked even older and wearier than he felt and ordered a scotch. It didn't take long to strike up a conversation with the old homicide detective. Unfortunately it turned out that he had once worked with Alex's father. When the old man found out Bobby was her partner, he started paying for the drinks.  
  
Bobby hadn't planned on getting drunk, but the guy kept the booze flowing, and soon Bobby was seeing the world through the pleasant haze of one too many scotches. The crowd was quickly splitting up. Girls were making their moves and soon everyone was pairing up in some bizarre New York City mating ritual. Bobby sat watching this all happen, content to observe the others. At least until someone drew him into the game.  
  
She was young, blonde and wearing a tight little black skirt that left little to the imagination. She looked almost too young for him, but she was pretty. It was her interest in him, however that was the most surprising and attractive thing.  
  
He offered her a seat and bought her a glass of white wine. Kelly turned out to be a paralegal at a firm downtown, and was fairly intelligent. At hearing that he was a detective, her face brightened even further. She pressed at him for a few minutes trying to get him to talk about his work. When it was clear that he wouldn't, she wisely changed tactics and commenced flirting. Bobby found it pleasant enough, but he needed some air. The alcohol was getting to him and she was coming on strong.  
  
Once outside, Kelly made her move. She leaned back against the brick wall of the bar and ran her finger up and down the lapel of his coat. He took a step closer and looked down at her. As her fingers grasped the material and pulled him towards her, he noticed for the first time how much her hair looked like Alex's. And she seemed so tiny. He towered over her, just like. Damn. He was doing it again. Here was a beautiful, young woman who wanted him, and all he could think of was his partner. At that moment he knew he was a lost cause.  
  
Kelly felt him tense up and pull away. She looked up at him and smiled. "What's wrong, Detective?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I have to be up early tomorrow and I shouldn't have started."  
  
"Sure. You have to be up early. Look, I might be young, but I'm not stupid, Bobby. So what's her name?"  
  
"Whose name?"  
  
"The girl you came here to forget. I'm a woman. I recognize the symptoms. So who is she?"  
  
Bobby knew when he was beat. "My partner."  
  
"So you want her. Does she want you?"  
  
"I don't know and it doesn't matter. We're friends and we work together. I can't take the risk."  
  
"Well Detective, it was nice talking to you. I hope you find some sort of solution." She got on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He watched as she turned around and walked back into the bar. The young ones always seemed to bounce back from disappointment the easiest. He had no doubt she could find someone else who'd be more than willing to satisfy her.  
  
Bobby walked slowly back to his apartment. The cold night air sobered him somewhat, and his brain started working again. Kelly had been right about one thing. He needed to solve his problem, fast.  
  
By the time he got to his building and entered his apartment, no solution had presented itself. He was still attracted to his partner and he still couldn't do anything. He kicked off his shoes and pants and got into bed. This was ridiculous. He'd had the opportunity to bed a beautiful woman tonight, and his overwhelming desire for another woman had stopped him. Kelly was appealing, but she was no substitute for Alex.  
  
His partner was intelligent, mature and understood him and his work. She would never get frustrated when he didn't want to talk about cases. She was loyal and caring. He knew she defended him to other detectives when they ridiculed his eccentricities. She had passion for her job and the people she cared about. And Alex was gorgeous. He loved how her hair shined early in the morning, when they were woken up and called out for yet another crime. And her eyes. The way she looked at him when he went off on some tangent. A questing, searching look that brought him back to reality.  
  
The case at Daniel had been trying. Between the thong and the video he found, his restraint had been pushed to the limit. He wondered what she and her friends were doing tonight. Had they hired a stripper, or were they watching the movie? No, she had probably kept the video for herself. Maybe she would watch it tonight when she got home. Maybe she'd watch it and touch herself as he longed to touch her.  
  
Bobby didn't even notice that he was stroking himself until he was long past the point of no return. He knew he should be ashamed and take a cold shower, but he didn't care tonight. It might have been the scotch, but he closed his eyes and summoned up the image of Alex in a little black thong and nothing else. Maybe just one more time. Maybe it would be enough to quell the urge for another week.  
  
TBC. 


	5. Mutual Masturbation

Sorry this took so long to post on this site. I hope you enjoy.  
  
Late Night Shopping- Chapter 5  
  
Alex woke up and rolled over to look at the time. It was only 8:30 and she didn't have anything pressing to do today. She got up slowly, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and walked to the bathroom. The pounding behind her eyes was a clear indication that she had had way too much to drink last night. She splashed some water over her face and looked in the mirror. Apparently she looked even worse than she felt. "When did I get so old?"  
  
She turned on the shower, hoping the hot water would wash away some of her hangover. She was waiting for the water to heat up when the phone rang.  
  
Five minutes later she was finally in her shower shampooing her hair. Deakins wanted them to come in today for some stupid taskforce. Impressed by their work earlier in the week, the Mayor had specifically requested that Bobby and Alex be included. So now instead of a leisurely shower and relaxing weekend, she had to rush. They were expected at the office around noon but Bobby seemed impatient this morning. He wanted to meet for breakfast and then get to One Police Plaza early. She couldn't understand why. He always seemed to hate political assignments.  
  
Alex washed her hair quickly, intending to be ready when Bobby picked her up at her apartment. She looked over at the bottle and laughed as she worked the lather through her hair. If there was truth in advertising there should be a warning on it. She could just see it now. "Herbal Essences. Warning: Use of this product may cause spontaneous orgasms." Of course, she didn't seem to have any trouble with that lately, even if hers were self induced. She rinsed her hair and groaned. Her mind was way too raunchy this morning. Maybe she was still a little drunk.  
  
No, she had been like this all week. The late night shopping trip seemed to have started something. She had been attracted to Bobby for a while now, but she had always been able to control it. Now, the tension was almost too much. Just being around him had become a battle. Last night she had just given up. The video and her desire had conspired to bring her to her knees. The memory was powerful and erotic. If only she had someone to share it with. She closed her eyes and pictured Bobby there with her. He towered over her, powerful and commanding. She let the water hit her chest as her fingers slowly stroked her slick flesh. She was lost. All she had were her fantasies.  
  
Alex leaned against the shower wall as her pleasure grew into a steady throbbing need for release. She was so close she could almost hear the pounding of her heart. Just before she crashed over the edge she realized the pounding was coming from her door. She had a moment of indecision. She just needed another minute to finish, but in the end the pounding and the sound of her name being called loud enough to wake the dead drew her out of the shower. She quickly wrapped a towel around her body and still dripping walked to the door. As she passed her bed she glanced at her alarm clock. Damn, I must have been in the shower for 45 minutes! She mentally berated herself for her loss of control as she unlocked the door.  
  
Û Alex opened the door and smiled awkwardly at her partner painfully aware of her own state of undress. "Sorry, Bobby. I, ummmm lost track of the time."  
  
"Don't worry about it. We have plenty of time before Deakins is expecting us."  
  
"Well make yourself at home. I'll be ready in a few minutes."  
  
Bobby watched her walk back to her bedroom. The sight of her in nothing but that white towel was almost debilitating. His actions last night had not taken the edge off his desire. If anything, it was worse today. He sat down on the couch and rubbed his eyes, trying desperately to forget what he had just seen. Her wet hair clinging to her neck. Skin flushed a deep red from the heat of the shower. The tops of her breasts exposed as she clutched the towel around her. Today was going to be hell.  
  
He decided there was nothing to do but soldier on and try to keep his mind focused on less tempting things. He turned on the television, hoping that the morning news would help banish the inappropriate image of his partner. The Sunday morning "preach-a-thon" wasn't exactly his taste in entertainment, so he looked for the remote so he could watch CNN. But of course, the remote was no where to be found. He looked everywhere, sofa cushions, under the table. Finally he got on his knees next to the couch and reached under. There, just out of reach was the remote. He groped for it blindly and finally was able to drag it out, but not before hitting a few buttons.  
  
Grinning triumphantly he got up. True he could have simply turned the channel on the television, but he was too stubborn for that. Besides, guys and remotes were a natural pair. He smiled to himself as he sat back down. All he needed now was a beer and a Yankees game and he could die a happy man.  
  
The guttural groan from the TV was his first indication that he was no longer watching a religious service. As his attention immediately shifted to the screen, he answered with a groan of his own.  
  
The video. That damn video that had haunted him. So she had bought it for herself. She even watched it. He sat forward, eyes glued to the screen as his mouth hung open. He recognized the scene too. The third one. The one he had played out in his head all week long.  
  
The man on the screen stood fully clothed holding a petite brunette tight against him. She seemed to want to struggle, but as she looked up into his eyes, all fight went out of her. He quickly turned her around, cupping her sex and grinding her ass into him as he whispered to her. "You've been a very naughty girl, luv. What am I supposed to do with you?"  
  
She let out a small cry as his fingers moved between her legs and her voice was breathless as she answered him. "Anything you want, detective."  
  
Bobby moaned as his hand rubbed at the growing problem in his jeans. What he wouldn't give to hear Alex breathe those same words to him. Suddenly he remembered that Alex must have been watching this last night. He wondered if it affected her as much as it did him. Had she sat there, breathless as she touched herself? Had she thought of him when she came, screaming his name?  
  
On screen, the man had now maneuvered the woman up against the wall as if to frisk her. He handcuffed her hands behind her and then knelt. Slowly he began working his way up her body, licking at her naked skin as she trembled under his hands.  
  
"Okay, Bobby. Let's go." Bobby heard her voice and tried in vain to hide what he had been watching, but it was too late. He couldn't find the remote, and the moans coming from the television were unmistakable. He felt his face grow red with embarrassment as he got up to apologize.  
  
"Alex. I'm sorry. I was looking for the news and.." Bobby couldn't say any more. Alex looked mortified and about to bolt. She looked around quickly as if trying to find an escape route. Finally realizing there was no place to hide she buried her face in her hands.  
  
God! He must think I'm some sort of pervert. Alex wished fervently that she could just disappear. There was no way she was ever going to live this down. Her only consolation was that Bobby was probably too much of a gentleman to spread this around the office. That would be the end of her career. She would never be able to go to a crime scene again without people snickering. She groaned aloud at the thought and looked up briefly. Bobby was walking cautiously towards her, looking almost as awkward as she felt.  
  
He had to do something. It was his fault that they were in this situation. He approached her hoping to lay her fears to rest. "Alex. Please look at me. I'm sorry."  
  
He held his breath as her eyes slowly rose to meet his. By the time their eyes met, hers looked a little less horrified than before. Then he noticed that she had a hint of a smile.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you liked the tape."  
  
He followed her gaze south until he realized the source of her mirth. After being caught in the act, he'd completely forgotten about his reaction to the scene. He blushed all the way to his ears. Apparently his body hadn't forgotten what he'd seen. And now with the woman of his dreams and fantasies standing right there, his body seemed reluctant to abandon its state of arousal.  
  
It was a decisive moment. They were both embarrassed, but she didn't seem angry. Bobby's breathing grew shallower as she licked her lips unconsciously. Was this the opportunity he had dreamed about?  
  
Alex didn't know what she was doing, only that there seemed to be some sort of magnetic force drawing them together. Before she could reconsider or sink again into embarrassment, his lips were on hers.  
  
By most standards it was an almost chaste kiss, a light brush of their lips. But the electricity was unmistakable, like a white hot bolt of heat that coursed through her. Evidently, Bobby felt it too. He deepened the kiss seeking her tongue with his, drinking in her sweet taste. One hand wound its way into her hair, the other slowly explored the curves of her body, gently brushing a taut nipple before coming to rest on her lower back. He clutched her to him desperately, grasping her body like a drowning man.  
  
Bobby drew back to catch his breath. He tilted her face up to meet his. He looked down at her swollen lips and groaned. "Damn, woman. Do you even know what you do to me?"  
  
Alex smiled and moved into him wanting to feel his body against hers again. As she made contact with him she laughed lightly. "Are you sure it's me and not just the movie?"  
  
"Oh it's you. I've had a hell of a time keeping my hands off of you these past few weeks, Alex. Everything you do draws me to you."  
  
Bobby's hands slid down exploring her back and flat stomach before reaching around to cup her. He lifted her effortlessly, her legs naturally wrapping around him, grinding the center of her arousal into him. His arms encircled her waist and plucked her handcuffs from her belt. He held them up and grinned triumphantly.  
  
"Shall we try them out?"  
  
"Anything you want, detective."  
  
The End. Hope you all liked it. Let me know. 


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